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Major theories of Motivation to increase Productivity


Major theories of Motivation to increase Productivity

Definition for Motivation

 Employee motivation, i.e. methods for motivating employees, is an intrinsic and internal drive to put forth the necessary effort and action towards work-related activities. It has been broadly defined as the "psychological forces that determine the direction of a person's behavior in an organization, a person's level of effort and a person's level of persistence".

Also, "Motivation can be thought of as the willingness to expend energy to achieve a goal or a reward.

Motivation at work has been defined as 'the sum of the processes that influence the arousal, direction, and maintenance of behaviors relevant to work settings'." Motivated employees are essential to the success of an organization as motivated employees are generally more productive at the work place.

The Psychological Theories of Motivation

1.    Hertzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

The Two-Factor Theory of motivation (otherwise known as dual-factor theory or motivation-hygiene theory) was developed by psychologist Frederick Herzberg in the 1950s.



·       Motivator factors

These are factors that lead to satisfaction and motivate employees to work harder. Examples might include enjoying your work, feeling recognized and career progression.



·       Hygiene factors

             These factors can lead to dissatisfaction and a lack of motivation if they are absent.  

           Examples include salary, company policies, benefits, relationships with managers and 

           Co-workers.



While motivator factors increased employee satisfaction and motivation, the absence of these factors didn’t necessarily cause dissatisfaction.

Likewise, the presence of hygiene factors didn’t appear to increase satisfaction and motivation but their absence caused an increase in dissatisfaction.

2.    Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

      The Hierarchy of Needs theory was coined by psychologist Abraham Maslow in his 1943

        paper  “A Theory of Human Motivation”.   



                                     Hierarchy of needs in Maslow,s Motivation Theory

The theory is illustrated that, “ Individuals, most basic needs must be satisfied, before they become motivated to achieve higher level need.”

The hierarchy is made up of 5 levels:

1. Physiological – these needs must be met in order for a person to survive, such as food, water and shelter.
2. Safety – including personal and financial security and health and wellbeing.
3. Love/belonging – the need for friendships, relationships and family.
4. Esteem – the need to feel confident and be respected by others.
5. Self-actualisation – the desire to achieve everything you possibly can and become the most that you can be.

According to the hierarchy of needs, you must be in good health, safe and secure with meaningful relationships and confidence before you are able to be the most that you can be.

3. Hawthorne effect

The Hawthorne Effect is named after a series of social experiments on the influence of physical conditions on productivity at Western Electric’s factory at Hawthorne, Chicago in the 1920s and 30s.

The Hawthorne Effect was first described by Henry A. Landsberger in 1950.

The Hawthorne effect (also referred to as the observer effect is a type of reactivity in which individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed.

The researchers changed a number of physical conditions over the course of the experiments including lighting, working hours and breaks. In all cases, employee productivity increased when a change was made. The researchers concluded that employees became motivated to work harder as a response to the attention being paid to them, rather than the actual physical changes themselves.



References


2."Hawthorne Effect | What is Hawthorne Effect? - MBA Learner". MBA Learner. 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2018-02-25.

3.Jones, Gareth R.; George, Jennifer M. (2008). Contemporary Management.

4.Moran, Barbara B. (2013). Library and Information Center Management. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.


6.McCarney R, Warner J, Iliffe S, van Haselen R, Griffin M, Fisher P (2007). "The Hawthorne Effect: a randomised, controlled trial"

7.ways to improve employee motivation, retrieved 25 August 2017

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